Or you can enjoy the scenic views of Lake Erie atop the bluffs at Norfolk Conservation Area. You can soak up the lakeside atmosphere, picnic, play some beach volleyball, or take a dip in Lake Erie. This 46-acre park is located along the Lake Erie shoreline with a cobble beach and swimming. Norfolk Conservation Area has long been a favorite of many weekend visitors. Day use recreational facilities include two covered pavilions, beach volleyball court, a sports field, horseshoe pits and a small playground area. The park offers a great place for daytrips and cycling.
If you are looking for more action, there is plenty to do in
the area surrounding Hidden Valley RV Resort, whether it’s visiting nearby
farms, roadside markets or taking part in the region’s many festivals and
fairs.
In early October in Simcoe, you can enjoy the Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show. It is celebrating 175 years in 2015. It was formed in 1840, and known originally as the Talbot District Agricultural Society. The Norfolk County Agricultural Society operates under the Horticultural & Agricultural Act (Ontario) and is staffed primarily by volunteers who dedicate countless hours to the fair. We are big proponents of Agricultural Fairs, as we are members of the Hemlock Lake Union Agricultural Society in New York. Our Hemlock “Little World’s” Fair has been running since 1857, taking just a few years off for the War. The Norfolk County Fair & Horse Show is highly-acclaimed and have been awarded numerous Canadian, provincial and local awards. In addition to being a member of the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies, the Norfolk County Fair & Horse Show is also a member of the Canadian Association of Fairs & Exhibitions, as well as the International Association of Fairs & Exhibitions. It is Ontario's oldest agricultural fair, it is ranked the fifth largest event of its kind in the province competing with the Canadian National Exhibition, The Royal Winter Fair, and "city" fairs in London and Ottawa and one of the Top 50 Festivals and Events in the Province! Celebrating the fair's agriculture roots, over 10,000 entries compete in grain crops, fruits, vegetables, floral arrangements, culinary arts, handmade quilts, and crafts. Produce growers compete for the coveted show ribbons and claim bragging rights! The grandstand features extraordinary Canadian talent along with perennial fair favorites such as demolition derbies, monster truck shows, tractor pulls and more. High flying whirling rides, a menagerie of livestock, majestic teams of horses, light harness racing, open western horse show, antique buggy classes, pony classes and jumpers. All these give you the largest outdoor horse show in Canada!
Other nearby attraction is the Cayuga International Speedway
Park. Since 1966 Cayuga International Speedway has strived hard to present the
best in oval track competition. One of the hallmarks at Cayuga International is
its "Specials Only" format to provide motorsport fans with the best
short-track racing in North America. Fans attended Cayuga International
Speedway to enjoy prestigious racing series such as the American Speed
Association, Hooters Cup, Great American Truck Racing, Canadian Association for
Stock Car Auto Racing, Drivers Independent Racing Tracks and the Player’s
Ltd/GM Motorsport Series. The track has hosted stock car racing at its best,
and many of the biggest names in this popular type of racing have participated
in events, including Bobby Allison, Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Bill
Elliott, Ron Fellows, Junior Hanley, Matt Kenseth, Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin,
Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace, Darrell Waltrip, and many more. However, the
non-stop fender to fender action at Cayuga International Speedway has not only
been limited to stocks cars. The speedway has hosted the monsters of
motorsports - the "big rig" semi-trucks, NTPA Truck and Tractor
Pulls, and major musical entertainment including "Another Roadside
Attraction." Plus some major musical acts like Sass Jordan, Kim Mitchell,
The Tea Party, Travis Tritt and David Wilcox have graced the stages at Cayuga
International Speedway. Set on nearly 300 acres, Cayuga International Speedway
offers the motorsport fan a full range of amenities. An added bonus is the free
entertainment every night of the Special Event Weekend under the covered band
shell pavilion - a popular gathering spot for all who enjoy the excitement of
racing at Cayuga International Speedway.
If history, mystery and intrigue is more your idea of a
weekend of fun, then venture into the town of Normandale. The Normandale Post
Office built in the late 1830’s by Joseph and Benjamin Van Norman. It originally was both a post office/general
store and residence for the post master and his family. The village of
Normandale was the creature of the first iron foundry in Upper Canada. The Van
Norman foundry turned out castings of all kinds, which soon became famous for
the quality of the iron. Its best known products were possibly the stoves,
particularly the justly celebrated Van Norman cooking stove. The former
Normandale Post office is a small one and a half story wood frame structure
with attic space under the main gable roof forming a second story. The new
foundation is concrete, but was originally fieldstone. The exterior finish of
the building is wood clapboards with wood corner boards, windows and door trim.
The original wood shingle roof has been replaced with asphalt shingles. The
post office originally boasted a one story porch across the main façade, with a
low slope wood shingle roof supported by four square wood columns. Simpler in
design than the columns of the adjacent Union Hotel, these columns reflected
the corresponding simplicity of the Post Office’s design. Together with the
adjacent Union Hotel, the Normandale Post Office successfully anchored the main
intersection of the village. The Union Hotel has some paranormal history! According
to the owners, the hotel was built in 1835 to serve the local bog iron ore
boom, the property is located on the historic Talbot Trail. The hotel was
closed about 1850 and abandoned. It was restored as a bed & breakfast in
the 1980s. The hotel is now a beautifully restored private residence. The Union
Hotel has been designated as a historical building, so the original floor plan
in intact; that includes three parlors, a dining room, front tavern room, as
well as a ballroom upstairs. The hotel is outside of the area called “Spooky
Hollow.” Spooky Hollow is actually the
area of road behind the property of the hotel. From research through the
Toronto & Ontario Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society, it was said that,
“in the 1920’s there were booze runners who illegally transported alcohol to
the US from Normandale. The booze runners were raided by the police and killed
and it is believed their restless spirits walk the roads.”
Speaking of Spooky Hollow … recent reports of activity
include the shadow figure of a woman and child, antique toys appearing, the
sound of a dog dragging a chain, dehumidifier starting while switched off, and
loud knocks on guest room doors. The current owners stated that they have heard
a dog walking across the floor dragging a leash and big bangs in the middle of
the night. It is also rumored that one of the ghosts was a guest. A man was a
travelling salesman hid his gold in the floor boards of the room; there was a
guard outside of the room. The next day the guard was gone and the salesman’s
body was found in Spooky Hallow. The traveling salesman’s ghost is still
looking for his gold and the guard that stole it.
Spooky Hollow Nature Sanctuary is located north of
Normandale within the Norfolk Sand Plain. The Hamilton Naturalist’s Club (HNC)
purchased Spooky Hollow in 1961, thus becoming “Ontario’s first land trust”.
Low impact activities are permitted in Spooky Hollow, but motorized vehicles,
horses, and bicycles are not allowed. You cannot remove of any natural
materials; no hunting or fishing is permitted. Inside the nature sanctuary you
can see the endangered tree Eastern Flowering Dogwood. All of the nature
sanctuary has been designated as a provincially significant Life Science Area
of Natural and Scientific Interest. This designation was awarded because: “American
Chestnut, an endangered species, as well as over a dozen provincially rare
vascular plants, including remnants of rare sand prairie communities are found
within the sanctuary. Rare birds such as the Cerulean Warbler and
Red-shouldered Hawk and animals such as the Badger have also been sited. The
large size of this natural area provides important interior forest habitat.” Nowhere
is it more important to ‘walk softly’ and avoid damaging the environment than
in this beautiful and significant landscape. It is also a place that everyone
should be able to experience at least once in their lifetime!
In Normandale, south of Van Norman Street just east of Turkey
Point Provincial Park was once located one of Upper Canada's most important
industrial enterprises, the Normandale ironworks and its blast furnace played a
significant role in the early economic development of the province. Built in
1816-1817 by John Mason, and enlarged in 1821-1822 by Joseph Van Norman, Hiram
Capron, and George Tillson, it produced the famous Van Norman cooking stove, as
well as iron kettles, pots and pans, and agricultural implements. Up to 200 men
were employed prior to the closure of the blast furnace in 1847, following the
exhaustion of the local bog ore deposits.
If you enjoy sewing or quilting, check out Black Bird
Country Quilt Works in Normandale. They offer great deals on quilt fabrics, notions, quilt
kits, panels, books, magazines and patterns. Fabrics from manufactures such as
RJR, Makower UK, Robert Kaufman, Seattle
Bay, Avlyn Creations, Free Spirit, Westminster Fibers, Rowan, Red Rooster,
Maywood Studio, Marcus Brothers, South Seas Imports, Wilmington, Windham
Fabrics, Hoffman, Moda, Timeless Treasures, P&B, David Textiles, Fabrics
That Care, VIP, Quilting Treasures and more! They also carry a variety of
patterns and publications for the beginner to advanced quilters.
No matter what you like to do, there is something for
everyone at Hidden Valley Carefree RV resort and the surrounding area.
